System for providing scanning medium

Abstract

A system for providing scanning medium for scanning a volume of tissue comprising: an inner chamber that contains the scanning medium; a transducer mounted to the inner chamber and configured to move along a motion path, with the inner chamber, in scanning the volume of tissue; an outer chamber concentrically aligned about the inner chamber to guide the inner chamber along the motion path; a piston module defining a base surface within the inner chamber, the piston module comprising a medium inlet and a medium outlet for adjusting an amount of the scanning medium within the inner chamber; a detection subsystem coupled to the base surface of the piston module; and an actuator comprising a stationary portion mounted to the piston module and a moving portion coupled to the inner chamber and configured to produce motion of the inner chamber along the motion path.

We claim: 
     
       1. A system for providing a scanning medium for scanning a volume of tissue of a patient, the system comprising:
 an inner chamber configured to contain the scanning medium; 
 a transducer that moves along a motion path, with the inner chamber, in scanning the volume of tissue, the transducer including an array of ultrasound elements that scan the volume of tissue in operation; 
 an outer chamber concentrically aligned about the inner chamber to guide the inner chamber along the motion path, 
 a seal coupled to the inner chamber and in contact with the outer chamber, wherein the seal isolates a region defined between the outer chamber and the inner chamber from the scanning medium as the inner chamber moves along the motion path; 
 a piston module having a base surface within the inner chamber, the piston module including a medium inlet and a medium outlet for adjusting an amount of the scanning medium within the inner chamber; and 
 an actuator module comprising 1) a stationary portion mounted to the piston module, and 2) a moving portion coupled to the inner chamber and configured to produce motion of the inner chamber along the motion path. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein a superior region of the outer chamber is mounted to a frustoconical patient interface surface including an aperture configured to receive the volume of tissue during operation, and wherein the frustoconical patient interface surface is coupled to a chamber that receives an overflow volume of the scanning medium. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the seal is coupled within a circumferential groove of a transducer mount that couples the inner chamber to the transducer, wherein the seal is configured to move, with the inner chamber, along the motion path relative to the outer chamber. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 3 , wherein the transducer mount includes a set of openings circumferentially arranged between a superior portion of the inner chamber and the transducer, the set of openings configured to allow the scanning medium to weep from a region inferior to the transducer. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the transducer is mounted to a superior portion of the inner chamber, and wherein the inner chamber and the ring transducer are configured to move along a posterior-to-anterior axis of the volume of tissue in a first operation mode. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a controller that coordinates inflow and outflow of the scanning medium within the inner chamber, with motion of the inner chamber along the motion path, by way of the medium inlet and the medium outlet. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a detection subsystem coupled to the base surface of the piston module and comprising 1) an optical sensor module fluidly isolated from the scanning medium within the inner chamber and 2) a temperature sensor proximal at least one of the medium inlet and the medium outlet. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 7 , wherein the optical sensor module is configured to transmit an image dataset of the volume of tissue, during scanning, to a computing system, wherein the temperature sensor is configured to transmit a temperature dataset associated with the scanning medium to the computing system, and wherein the computing system is configured to provide an analysis derived from the image dataset and the temperature dataset to an entity associated with the patient. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 8 , further comprising an array of light emitters surrounding the optical sensor module and configured to indicate proper function of the system, wherein the optical sensor module and the array of light emitters are isolated from the scanning medium within the inner chamber by way of a transparent covering mounted to the piston module. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the medium inlet comprises a fitting that directs the scanning medium laterally into the inner chamber, and wherein the medium outlet is in communication with an anti-vortex fitting that prevents generation of a fluid eddy as the scanning medium is drained from the inner chamber. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 1 , wherein an interface between the piston module and the inner chamber is hermetically sealed as the inner chamber moves along the motion path, and wherein the piston module is substantially stationary as the inner chamber moves along the motion path in operation. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the region defined between the outer chamber and the inner chamber and hermetically sealed by the seal is an annular prismatic region that houses electrical coupling elements in communication with the transducer.